iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrllll tcdhsfThtbsePAIRs. Grains and other starchy foods—including sesame, buckwheat,
sorghum, millet, hemp, amaranth, quinoa, tapioca, teff, corn, rice, and
potatoes—may need to be removed until the gut has healed.
IgA and IgG tests offer a helpful guide on where to start. For example, I
never I never would have guessed I had a reaction to dairy (IgA), pineapple
(IgG), peach (IgG), or watermelon (IgG). However, these tests are not af-
fordable for everyone. Additionally, while labs are available to test for the
four most common PAIRs, they may show false negatives, and people may
have a PAIRs reaction to foods not available as IgA tests. Thus, some pro-
fessionals still recommend following an elimination diet, even if the test
results for PAIRs and IgG intolerances are negative.
Other professionals do not use lab tests at all and simply have their pa-
tients follow an elimination diet, considered the gold standard for iden-
tifying food intolerances.
Elimination Diets
In contrast to other diets that simply exclude common problematic foods,
an elimination diet is undertaken to determine an individual’s specific food
intolerances.
When we eat foods our bodies are sensitive to on a daily basis, it becomes
difficult to connect the foods with the symptoms we are experiencing.
For example, people who have a dairy sensitivity but continue to eat
dairy multiple times a day may feel tired; have joint pain; and suffer con-
gestion, bloating, and acid reflux daily but are unable to pinpoint dairy
as triggering the symptoms.
This is because every time we eat this food, the body’s ability to protect it-
self from the antigenic food becomes depleted, and the reactions become
less specific and more chronic. If the food continues to be eaten, the body
becomes sensitive to more and more things.
Once the sensitizing food is eliminated for a few days to a few weeks, the
person should generally feel better and experience less bloating and reflux
as well as normal bowel movements and increased energy.
When the person is re-exposed to the food, the body produces a stronger,
more specific reaction, allowing recognition of which food is problematic.
Gastrointestinal symptoms that may occur after exposure to a sensitizing
food include diarrhea, bloating, acid reflux, burning, gas, and cramping.
Respiratory, muscular, and skin symptoms may be seen as well. Please